Until We Meet Again
by maledictmongrel
Summary: The low hum of the air conditioning unit in the room made for some decent white noise, allowing Yang's mind to roam back to her days at Beacon Academy. She'd never expected things to turn out the way that they had. Then again, even if she were to go back and tell her former self where she would be now, she would have laughed in her own face. Fate was a cruel mistress.
1. I

Yang walked at a languid pace down the hallway of the hotel where she was staying for her sister's wedding. She couldn't wait to get back to her room and collapse into bed. The entire celebration had gone perfectly, but had left her rather exhausted. Despite the feeling that her mind was completely worn-out from the festivities of the day, the blonde replayed her favorite moments in her head. The cutting of the cake was hilarious. As usual, Ruby couldn't wait to dig into the sweets. Their first dance was something she would never forget. Weiss practically carried Ruby through all of the steps while still maintaining her trademark graceful and poised manner. Perhaps the most memorable part of the ceremony, though, was watching her younger sister exchange her vows with Weiss. Granted it was definitely something Yang never thought she'd live to see—And the brawler had figured she'd sooner witness pigs fly—it was beautiful. The raw emotions behind their words and the looks that they shared with one another throughout the night had stirred something within Yang that she hadn't felt in a long time.

The brawler couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly it was, but it was bittersweet to say the least. She came to a stop at the door marked with her room number and unlocked it with the holographic key she'd received the day earlier upon checking in. Her fingers closed around the door handle and she turned it slowly, taking care to make as little noise as possible. Yang had booked a room with Sun Wukong and his daughter, as the two of them had become rather significant to her over the past years. They'd left the wedding a bit earlier than she had on account of the little one becoming sleepy. Sun had taken her back to the hotel and sure enough, the pair were sleeping soundly as Yang crept into the dim room. The door clicked shut softly behind her and she pulled off the heels that she had been forced to endure wearing for the majority of the day.

It was uncharacteristic of the brawler to dress so… Well, for lack of a better word, _frilly._ However, Ruby had asked her to be the maid of honor on her special day. That was something Yang could not turn down, even if it meant being stuffed into a dress and having to learn how to balance on shoes that were _not_ combat boots. As she set the offending shoes to the side of the entryway, Yang approached the edge of her bed. The blonde was about to begin peeling the gown off of her body when her eyes fell upon the sleeping pair of faunus. Sun was still adorning a dress shirt, but it had been pulled loose from his slacks and his bow tie was sitting on the nightstand beside the bed. It looked like he hadn't intended on falling asleep alongside his daughter, who slept peacefully beside him. Ember's eyelids fluttered every so often as she appeared to be dreaming. Her long, sandy-colored tresses were hanging in her face and her cat ears twitched with every breath that left her lips. The girl was already turning out to be a spitting image of Blake, save for the blonde hair and ears.

Yang moved to the other side of the room, drawing the curtains shut so that the sunlight wouldn't disturb them in the morning. As she moved back toward her bed, she couldn't help but give a double take at the two of the faunus. There it was again; That feeling that had accompanied her throughout the entirety of her sister's big day. She didn't bother taking off the dress as she climbed onto her bed, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling. The low hum of the air conditioning unit in the room made for some decent white noise, allowing Yang's mind to roam back to her days at Beacon Academy.

* * *

"Yang!" The shrill sound of Weiss' nagging voice pulled the brawler from her sleep.

Bleary lilac eyes blinked open and the blonde slowly sat up. She was on the couch, which must have meant that she'd fallen asleep watching another one of Ruby's favorite shows. Yang had tried to make a habit out of spending more time with her sister, but sometimes the material that Ruby subjected her to was excruciating. The older sister could spend hours on end playing fighting games and destroying Ruby at them, but she could rarely stay awake for the entire duration of Ruby's beloved shows. Somehow she had stumbled across a show about cyborg karate masters that fought crime while trying to live among humans. While Ruby had quickly grown infatuated with the show, Yang had only developed a mere tolerance for it. Spending time with her sister meant a lot to her, though, so she always tried her best to at least feign interest.

This time she had clearly fallen short. Ruby wasn't anywhere to be found and Yang was sprawled out, taking up most of the sofa. Weiss stood over her with her arms folded and a scowl on her mug. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, really. Yang rubbed at her eyes and gave a yawn before stretching her arms and back. As the blonde attempted to wake herself up, Weiss glared at her expectantly. The brawler finally looked back at her and lifted her eyebrows.

"What time is it?" Yang asked, looking past the white-haired girl and toward the television, which had long since been turned off.

"For your information, it is approximately 6:47 PM." Weiss said in a displeased fashion, "That means—"

"Okay. So, what're we doing for dinner?" Yang wanted to know as she swept her legs over the side of the couch, her arms coming to rest beside her.

"Well, considering the fact that Ruby is sparring with Jaune and Blake is going on a date, I would say that leaves it up to you and I. However, I—"

Yang tilted her head slightly as she cut off her teammate, "Blake is going on a date?"

"Yes. Now, if you could please—"

"With who?" The brawler demanded, standing up and looking down the hall.

The door to the bathroom was closed. Blake was probably getting ready. How come she didn't tell her she was going on a date? They usually told each other more than they shared with Weiss and Ruby, with the exception of Ruby and Yang being sisters. Yang was shocked to say the least. Not only that, but it also somewhat irritated her.

"The boy with the blonde hair and the blue eyes that sits a few rows behind us in Professor Port's class… I can't remember his name." Weiss looked toward the ceiling as she tried to recall what his name could be before her eyes snapped back to Yang, "And stop interrupting me. It's _rude._ "

Yang was about to open her mouth and argue when the bathroom door opened at the end of the hall. Blake was wearing a rather casual outfit and had her hair done the same way as she always did. Seeing that she hadn't gotten dolled up filled Yang with an odd sense of comfort. She smiled at Blake, who returned her signature half-smile as she walked down the hallway.

"I'm heading out. I shouldn't be out too late." Blake told them.

"Where ya goin'?" Yang asked, as if she didn't already know.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Weiss scowling at her. The Ice Queen's stare pierced through her like daggers. Having grown accustomed to ignoring the white-haired girl's methods, Yang kept her attention on Blake as the faunus brushed her fingers through some of her hair.

"Out with Cadet Calamansi, from Port's class." She said, pulling out her Scroll and beginning to type, "That's him now. I'll be back later."

Blake tucked her Scroll into her pocket and left the dormitory. Yang folded her arms and sat back down on the couch. The blonde kicked her feet up onto the coffee table, scowling as she sank into the cushions. Weiss continued to stand there and glare at her. Sometimes Yang swore that Weiss acted more like a mom to her than her own mother.

"Cadet Calamansi… What a stupid name." The brawler muttered to herself, reaching for the remote.

Weiss grabbed her by the wrist and stopped her with the remote control just out of her grasp. Yang turned to her with an annoyed expression plastered to her face, while Weiss' scowl only seemed to twist further. The blonde never ceased to be amazed at just how displeased the Schnee girl could make herself look. If showcasing disgust and discontent was ever a competitive sport, Weiss Schnee would be the reigning champion.

"What?" Yang demanded.

"First of all," Weiss began, "I came to watch my show. But you were hogging the couch. Now, though, I can see that my intervention is needed."

"Intervention?" The taller girl asked in an exaggerated tone.

"Precisely." The heiress huffed, "Yang. You need to do something."

Yang resisted the urge to get up and run from the room; She knew what was coming. Weiss wasn't an idiot. If anyone knew how to read a social situation, it was the Schnee girl. She had spent years in an environment that demanded her to be able to read any kind of social situation to react accordingly. There was no getting out of this one. Still, she could try to bullshit her way out of it. That was always a great last line of defense.

"What are you talking about?"

Weiss looked like she wanted to wring her teammate's neck. Yang was _almost_ entertained by her expression. _Almost._ Weiss released her wrist and took the remote to the television before she could. The smaller girl sat down beside her and smoothed out her skirt, taking a deep breath.

"You don't have to pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about, Yang. It's just you and I." Weiss started, "And I'm starting to feel like I've refrained from saying anything for _too_ long."

Yang wanted to try to play the clueless card again, but she couldn't find it in herself. The brawler felt like a cornered animal. In any other situation where she felt this way, she would just punch her way out. Everything would turn red and before she knew it, things would be back to normal. There was no punching her way out of this situation. Something about that was more frightening than any opponent she had ever faced. The blonde drew in a long breath through her nose as Weiss' gaze remained fixed on her.

"I see the way you look at her… To be fair, though, I _do_ think that anyone with eyes could see it, too." Weiss snickered, prompting Yang to give her a slight push with her shoulder.

The blonde shook her head a bit, "Yeah, yeah."

"I'd advise you to stop brushing it off, Yang." Weiss said.

Somewhere in her voice, Yang detected a hint of what seemed like genuine concern. She finally brought her gaze up to meet Weiss'. Icy blue eyes were riveted to hers and the blonde felt like her friend was staring directly into her soul. Yang cleared her throat a bit.

"It would just be problematic… We room together, we train together, we fight together… People on teams shouldn't date, Weiss. That'd be, like, a complete recipe for disaster. The last thing I want is to put any one of us under stress." Yang explained as she tore her eyes away from Weiss' and trained her attention toward the floor.

"Yang, the least you could do is discuss it with her. You'll never know what you're missing if you don't give it a shot." The white-haired girl attempted to encourage her.

"Exactly! I'll never know if I don't try. Never try, never fail, right?" Yang said as she got to her feet.

In a fraction of a second, Weiss' fingers were wrapped around Yang's wrist again. She yanked her back onto the couch and gave her a small swat on the arm. The brawler favored her arm away from her teammate and glared at her.

"This is so unlike you, Yang. You normally don't have any issue speaking your mind." Weiss observed, thinking for a moment, "You're scared that she doesn't feel the same, aren't you? You don't care that the two of you are on the same team! You just don't want her to turn you down!"

Yang turned her head in the other direction, "No. I really think that dating someone on your team is stupid. That would be like if you dated Ruby. Don't you know what a mess that would be?"

"Ruby and I would never—That's not what we're discussing!" Weiss stammered, her hands balling into fists.

"I'm serious! Think about it, Weiss. If you and—"

"You've cut me off enough! Now it's my turn!" The heiress announced, standing up and jabbing a finger at Yang, "You're being such a dolt! Stop being so proud and admit that you're afraid that Blake will turn you down! There's nothing wrong with admitting it."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." The brawler grumbled as she got up and tried to walk away.

Weiss placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small shake, "Hello? Yang! Are you blind, or are you just an idiot? In case you haven't noticed—unlike the rest of us—I'm almost certain Blake's feelings are mutual! How can you be so… So… Dense?!"

Yang stopped, feeling as though maybe she should give some consideration to what Weiss had said. Was it true? Did Blake look at her the same way that she did? How come she hadn't noticed? If most of her attention was trained to Blake anyway, shouldn't she have been the _first_ to see it? The blonde turned around and let out a sigh. Yang's shoulders slouched a bit as Weiss dropped her hands at her sides. It wasn't long before they returned to their usual spot, crossed in front of her.

"Why are you so afraid of talking to her, Yang? She's your best friend." Weiss reminded her, her voice now much calmer and collected than moments before.

" _That's_ why. That's the problem, Weiss. Blake is my best friend. If I mess that up, then what happens? She'd never be able to look at me the same." Yang told her.

Weiss lifted a brow at her, a skeptical expression crossing her face, "Do you honestly think that's how Blake would react? You know her better than any of us, but even I know that isn't the type of person she is."

Yang opened her mouth to give her response, but Weiss beat her to the punch, "We can sit here and argue all day, but that isn't going to change anything. If you don't say something, she's going to get tired of waiting and find someone who won't sit on their hands."

As much as Yang hated to hear it, she needed to. It was the truth. Blake certainly wouldn't be the one to make the first move. If Yang wanted anything to happen, she was going to have to take the reigns. The brawler secretly hated the fact that Weiss was so aware of every aspect of the situation. It was kind of scary, but strangely comforting to know that she could be the voice of reason because of it. Yang gave a small nod.

"Okay… Just give me some time to think on it, alright?" She finally said.

Weiss turned her chin upward a bit, giving Yang a once-over, "Don't disappoint me. And more importantly, don't disappoint _her._ "


	2. II

"I'll be back by ten," Blake told the rest of her team as she shut the door behind her.

Immediately after it closed, Ruby leapt off of the couch, "Pizza for dinner! Without sardines!"

"Actually, I was thinking we could go down to that great restaurant in Vale with the really good coffee. You remember the one Coco was talking about?" Weiss asked as she got up from the sofa as well.

"I don't really feel like going out." Yang said solemnly, rising from the table and beginning to head for her room.

"I could always go pick up a pizza! And Weiss could come with me!" Ruby offered as she threw an arm around Weiss' shoulders.

The white-haired girl visibly tensed as she slowly pushed Ruby's arm off of her, "I don't want to walk all the way to the pizza shop."

"Maybe Yang will let us—"

"Absolutely not." Yang said, shooting down the idea of the girls taking Bumblebee out.

Ruby frowned and looked at Weiss. The heiress let out a sigh and thought for a moment. Yang had already slipped into their shared room, heading for bed. This had become the typical routine on the evenings that Blake was in the company of someone other than that of her teammates. After she left, Yang would sulk and occasionally head down to the training room to unleash her feelings on a punching bag. Ruby would bite her tongue. She knew how stubborn Yang could be about opening up and she didn't want to push her further. On the other hand, Weiss would dish out sideways glances and do everything in her power to see if she could get Yang to break and speak up. It was more than obvious that this was eating Yang alive.

Not just Yang, either. Over the past few weeks, it had been starting to take a toll on Blake. The two had grown noticeably distant and the fact that Blake was handling it by going on a series of different dates wasn't exactly helping. Yang had tried everything in her power to ignore the foul taste in her mouth whenever Blake announced that she would be heading out. It was becoming increasingly harder to avoid it. Ruby had attempted to plan several team bonding events and group activities to see if it would help mend things, but there was always something that came up. Blake would go on a date, Yang would make an excuse to avoid it, and Ruby and Weiss would be left alone to figure out what to do. They'd even finished Ruby's beloved cyborg kung fu series due to the free time that was leftover from the other half of the team cancelling on them. Despite all of the negatives, Yang was happy to see that in the midst of her and Blake's distancing, at least Ruby and Weiss had gotten an opportunity to be closer.

"Ruby," Weiss said as she turned to the dark-haired girl.

"Hm?"

"Why don't you go get us a pizza? I'll give you my card, you can pick it up, and I'll talk to Yang." The heiress suggested.

"That works!" Ruby nodded, "I'll bring it back and you'll cheer her up. Then we can finally spend some time together!"

"Precisely." Weiss smiled and gave a small nod in return, "I would go with you, but I think that I'm needed here."

"Thanks, Weiss." Ruby said, her voice softening, "I would talk to Yang, but… I think she feels better talking to you about that kind of stuff."

"It's no trouble." She told her as she grabbed her handbag and pulled out her wallet.

"You think she'll ever talk to Blake about it?" The team leader asked quietly.

Weiss gave a small sigh as she removed her credit card from her wallet and handed it off to Ruby, "We can only hope. You can lead a horse to water, but you certainly can't make it drink."

Ruby frowned as she accepted the card from Weiss, "I don't like it when it's like this… It feels like we're barely even a team anymore. The only time they're willing to communicate is when we're in combat! Or when somebody needs to pass the salt at the table."

"I know. It's bothering me, too. All we can do is try to get them to talk it out." Weiss said as she set her handbag back on the coffee table.

"What if they don't, Weiss? What if one of these guys ends up being one that she actually likes? It seems like she really likes that Sun guy." Ruby said with a worried expression.

"Then maybe that will be the wake up call that Yang needs. Now, stop worrying and go get us a pizza _without_ sardines." Weiss told her as she smiled and gave Ruby a soft nudge.

Ruby giggled, "Okay! I'll be back as fast as I can."

"No rush." The white-haired girl replied as Ruby slipped out into the hallway.

Weiss smoothed out her skirt and took a deep breath. This had to be the time that Weiss convinced Yang to say something. If Blake really ended up liking Sun, it would spell trouble for the team. Not only would it hurt Yang, but it would only drive a wedge further between her and Blake. The Ice Queen began walking down the hallway toward their sleeping quarters. With the knuckle of her index finger, Weiss gave a soft knock on the door. There was no response. Naturally, she pushed the door open. Yang was lying in Blake's bed, rather than her own. The brawler had her arms resting over her face and was breathing steadily. Weiss walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. The heiress crossed her legs and cleared her throat.

"I already know what you're gonna say." Yang told her, moving her arms to her sides and beginning to sit up.

"Oh? And what am I going to say?" Weiss asked.

Yang rested her back against the headboard, bringing her knees toward her chest and resting her elbows atop them, "You're gonna tell me that I need to talk to Blake."

"Well, yes, but—"

"I can't, Weiss." Yang interrupted, causing the smaller girl to scowl.

"Why not? What's stopping you? You've acknowledged your fears, you've had time to work up the courage, so what's the issue, Yang?" Weiss demanded to know.

The blonde grimaced, "You _know_ what the issue is! If I fuck things up with Blake, it doesn't just destroy our friendship. It destroys our routine, it destroys team RWBY, it… It just doesn't work out, okay?"

"With the way things are going now, you're going to destroy _something_ if you don't just talk to her!" The Ice Queen snapped.

Yang had hardly noticed that her fists were clenched so tightly. Her knuckles were almost a ghostly white. The brawler tried to steel herself as she met Weiss' agog gaze. She sucked in a harsh breath.

"Fine. I'll talk to her tonight. Will that make you happy?" Yang grumbled.

"It won't affect me in the slightest, but it will sure make _you_ happy." Weiss told her in a matter-of-fact tone.

With that, the heiress got up and brushed herself off before leaving the room. Yang sat by herself and thought on what her teammate had told her until she heard the sound of Ruby coming back. Weiss and Ruby called for Yang as the scent of pizza drifted through the house. She decided it would be best to spend some time with her teammates, as it would most likely help her to get her mind off of Blake. The blonde pulled herself out of bed and ambled into the kitchen to spend some much-needed time with her sister and Weiss.

* * *

The trio had been goofing around for what felt like only a few minutes. In reality, though, it had been a few hours. Yang was pleasantly surprised at how easily she'd become distracted by the company of Weiss and Ruby. Seeing the pair interact with each other was almost always laughable and it had helped Yang feel quite a bit better. They were just about to wrap up another cheesy horror movie when the door unlocked. Blake entered and Ruby leapt off of the couch.

"Blake!" She cheered, "You're just in time for another—"

The short-haired girl stopped her sentence at the sight of Sun Wukong entering the dorm after Blake. Blake smiled at Ruby and the rest of her teammates as she brushed some hair behind her ear.

"Hey, guys. I brought Sun to say hello." Blake told them, gesturing to the tall blonde.

The monkey faunus beamed, "Hello!"

"Hi, Sun!" Ruby greeted him warmly.

"Hello," Weiss chimed in.

Yang tried not to exhibit her distaste outright. Sun Wukong? Really? The no-good stowaway that had been eyeing Blake since the moment they'd met? Yang hated this. She hated Sun's stupid smile, she hated the way his stupid shirt was always unbuttoned, and she hated the fact that Blake had gone on a stupid date with him. Nevertheless, Yang smiled at him and gave a small wave.

"Heya, Sun." The blonde said nonchalantly.

"What'cha guys up to?" Sun asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

The brawler resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the slight jingling that came from the chain attached to his jeans. _Why did he dress like that?_ Yang knew that it got hot in Vacuo, but the weather in Vale was almost always optimal. Couldn't he put on an actual shirt or something? It wasn't like everyone needed to see his stupid abs. Besides… Yang's were better, anyhow. She tuned back into the conversation, trying to ignore how irritated she had become in such a short span of time.

"We're just about to finish this movie! I forget the name, but these kids are camping in the Emerald Forest when this _huge_ Grimm starts trying to kill them! It's _super_ intense!" Ruby told Sun excitedly.

Sun laughed, "That sounds pretty awesome! If you're planning on watching anything else tonight, I've got recommendations! Ever heard of Vacuo Vacation? This family goes on a road trip to Vacuo and their car breaks down. They get abducted by these freaky mutant people who try to eat them!"

Weiss' face twisted in disgust and Ruby's lit up, "Whoa! We have to watch that next! Please, guys?"

Yang shrugged her shoulders and Weiss folded her arms. The heiress gave a heavy sigh.

"Why, Sun? Why?" She mumbled.

"Hey, don't knock it til ya try it. It's a good movie!" Sun argued.

Ruby poked Weiss in the arm, " _Please_ , Weiss. It sounds so awesome!"

"Fine. But after that, we're not watching anything else. All of this gore is just… So excessive." She huffed, shuddering a bit.

"Yes!" Ruby cried triumphantly as she pumped a fist in the air, "Sun, you wanna stay and watch?"

"Really?" Sun asked, his tail perking up a bit behind him.

"Yeah, we can—"

"Actually," Yang said as she stood up, "I'm feeling pretty tired already. I think I'm gonna hit the sack."

Ruby frowned, "But, Yang, we only have a few more minutes left of this one!"

"Yeah, well, I'm exhausted." The blonde told her sister.

Sun glanced at the clock on the wall, "Oh, wow. It actually is getting kind of late. Maybe I should head out."

"Good seeing you, Sun." Yang forced a smile before turning and heading down the hallway.

As she walked toward the bedroom, she could still hear their conversation in the living room. Blake still hadn't said much. Ruby, however, was brainstorming.

"Maybe you could come over tomorrow night! We could watch it and then we can make cookies! Oh, and we could invite Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren! Also, maybe you could bring Neptune!"

Yang cringed at the idea as she shut the door behind her. She didn't have a problem with team JNPR. In fact, she loved them. Nora was always a blast to be around and watching Ren try to keep her under control never failed to bring a smile to her face. Not to mention that Pyrrha was a sweetheart and Jaune was hilarious, even if it wasn't exactly intentional. The few interactions Yang had had with Neptune were actually pleasant and she thought he was a cool enough guy. Sun, however…

Sun coming around would be fine if he was only coming by as their friend. But the fact that he would be coming around as someone that Blake was… Well, _interested_ in, rubbed Yang the wrong way. The brawler attempted to keep her temper under control as she climbed into her bunk and rolled onto her back. Yang took slow, even breaths as she closed her eyes and did everything in her power to tune out the voices down the hall. Every time she heard Sun speak or laugh, she wanted to punch a hole in the wall. Why was she so worked up about it? It was only one date. It wasn't like she and Sun were going to get married.

Yang almost chuckled at how unreasonable she was being. _Almost_.

And then she heard the door to their shared living quarters shut, followed by the sound of movement in the living room. The TV was unpaused and the cheesy noises from the horror film that she had abandoned carried down the hallway. Yang pulled the sides of her pillow over her ears just as Blake entered the bedroom. The cat faunus took off her coat and draped it over the edge of her bed. Blake looked up at Yang and the blonde tried to avert her gaze.

"I almost expected you to be asleep." Blake commented.

Yang should've known she would say something.

"I've just been really tired lately." She muttered.

The faunus sat down on Weiss' bed and kept her eyes trained to Yang, "Something bothering you?"

The lilac-eyed girl bit her tongue. Something was definitely bothering her—And if what Weiss had said was true, the same thing was bothering Blake. Why were the both of them dancing around the obvious issue? Yang had told Weiss she would talk to Blake, but the fear that she thought she'd be able to push down was rearing its ugly head. In that moment, the brawler would sooner take on an entire horde of Grimm on her own than talk to Blake.

"Nah," Yang dismissed the idea, trying to pretend like she didn't see the flicker of doubt in Blake's eyes, "How was your date with Sun?"

"It wasn't really a date. We just hung out together." Blake told her.

"Just the two of you?" Yang inquired, unable to stop herself.

"Yeah, just the two of us." The faunus said back, "I feel like you two should hang out sometime. You guys would get along really well."

Yang choked back a harsh laugh, "Really? Me and Sun?"

"Yes." Blake nodded.

"I dunno, Blake. We're nothing alike." The brawler informed her teammate.

"Oh?" The raven-haired girl challenged, "Alright, Yang. Whatever you say."

There was a playful tone in Blake's voice and Yang got that all-too-familiar fuzzy feeling in her stomach. She sat up in her bed, unable to keep herself from bantering along with the bookworm. It wasn't too often that they got into these flirtatious sessions of wordplay, especially lately, but Yang never turned down an opportunity for one when she saw it.

"What is it? Is it because we're both blondes?" Yang teased.

"No," Blake said as she held back a smile, "Maybe it's because you're both stubborn."

The blonde shook her head, "I hate to tell you this, Blakey… But not _every_ blonde is as devastatingly good-looking and charming as me."

" _You're kidding_ ," Blake widened her eyes, feigning shock.

"Nope. Hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but not even Sunny-Boy comes close." Yang said confidently.

"If I'm not mistaken, it sounds like you're jealous." The faunus pointed out.

"Me? Jealous?" Yang scoffed, "Nah. Nothing to be jealous about."

The blonde sat back and rested her arms behind her head. Her expression was as smug as the look on her face. Blake was glad to see that Yang had seemingly reverted to her typical self for the time being. She smiled up at Yang, who couldn't resist returning the gesture. Blake's cheeks began to glow a dull red.

"I, ah… I should get to bed." Blake said, "Long day."

"Right, right." Yang nodded and waved a hand, "Me too. I'm beat."

Yang rolled onto her side and faced the wall as she listened to Blake opening and closing the drawers of her dresser. A few feet away from her, the raven-haired beauty was changing. Yang closed her eyes as she tried to ignore the thoughts that accompanied knowing that information. The bed moved a bit as Blake got into the bottom bunk. The blonde could hear Blake pulling the blankets up to her chin, as she always did.

"Goodnight, Yang." Blake said quietly.

"Night, Blakey." Yang replied.


	3. III

The only good news this month, Yang had decided, was the news of Nora's birthday celebration. For the past few weeks, Sun had been coming around more often than Yang liked. It had put her in a rather sour mood. So when the noisy redhead had announced that they would be going out for her birthday, Yang was more than happy to hear it. There would finally be some time to spend with Blake without Sun breathing down her neck. Now she could finally talk to Blake. After a few drinks, it would definitely be easy to tell her everything she'd been feeling. Yang had been looking forward to this night for almost a week, now. As she got ready, the brawler danced around the room and hummed to herself.

Weiss pushed the door open, "You're awfully chipper."

"Mmhmm." Yang gave a muffled response as she held a hair tie in between her teeth.

"May I ask why?" The heiress said, going through the drawers of her desk.

"Tonight's the night, Weiss." The blonde replied as she took the band out of her mouth, "I'm gonna tell her."

Weiss' expression openly displayed her shock. She could hardly believe her ears. The white-haired girl stopped her task entirely to gawk at Yang. When she had finished putting up a portion of her hair, Yang smiled and folded her arms.

"I must say, Yang. I'm impressed. I was starting to lose hope that you'd ever speak up." Weiss admitted.

"No faith in me, huh?" Yang teased as she slipped on her bomber jacket.

Weiss rolled her eyes, "No, I have faith in you. I was just starting to think maybe you didn't have any in yourself."

"Aw." The blonde further prodded the Ice Queen, pulling her into a squeeze just as she was about to continue rummaging through her desk, "Icy Weissy cares about me."

"I'm going to stop being so nice if you don't unhand me this instant." The Schnee girl warned.

"Alright, alright." Yang chuckled and stepped back, "What'cha lookin' for?"

"I'm looking for a false ID that I had made for Ruby a few months back. It should be in here somewhere." Weiss told her as she absentmindedly continued searching.

"Wait, what?" The brawler asked, "You had a fake ID made for Rubes?"

"Y-Yes… But I only did it because I figured it was fine. I mean, I feel bad! When we go out, she can't drink with us… She's less than a year away from the legal age, so I thought—"

"It's fine, Weiss." Yang assured her, "Has she used it at all?"

"I took her out a handful of times. We didn't drink much, though. I just… I can't find it." Weiss frowned as she looked beneath a pencil case.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. We'll just slip her a few drinks if it's that big a deal. But only a few." Yang said.

Weiss looked at her and lifted a brow, "Why? Are we doing extra training tomorrow?"

"No, but… I don't want it to be noticeable that she's drunk. We don't want our team leader getting into trouble." The blonde reminded her.

She gave a small nod of agreement, "I guess you're right. It should be fine, then… I mean, she can get in. She just can't drink."

"Yeah! Rubes'll be a good sport, anyway. Don't sweat it, Weiss." Yang said nonchalantly.

"Thanks, Yang." Weiss hummed, "It's good to see you like this."

"It's good to feel this way." The blonde concurred.

* * *

Yang had most definitely overestimated the amount of drinks it would take for her to get comfortably intoxicated. She'd started drinking when they'd arrived and hadn't stopped since. It had nearly been an hour and a half since their arrival. Nora was already completely hammered. She'd been dragging Ren around the dance floor for several minutes and was being a surprisingly good sport about it. Jaune and Pyrrha watched on from the other end of the bar, laughing every so often when Nora would try to do some sort of fancy move. Weiss had taken Ruby onto the dance floor and was leading her in what would've been an otherwise formal dance if her partner was anyone besides Ruby. The team leader stumbled around as she tried to mimic Weiss' steps and turns and pivots. It was rather precious.

Team CFVY had even made an appearance to the party. At first, it had made Yang wary of whether or not team SSSN would show up. Thankfully, though, there was no sign of them. Not that it would matter anymore. Yang had gotten too drunk to care. Blake was sitting on a black sofa and talking to Velvet, who was sitting beside her. She looked incredible. The cat faunus was sporting a pair of tight, white jeans and a black tube top that exposed her midriff. Yang had been trying not to eye her all night. It proved to be much harder than she'd thought. The blonde continued to watch as Blake socialized with Velvet, occasionally taking a sip of alcohol.

It was nice to see Blake so relaxed. Usually social interaction had her wound up pretty tightly. However, when alcohol was involved, Blake tended to open up a decent amount. Yang liked it when Blake was at ease. Most of the time, alcohol could do the trick for any introvert. Yang, though, would often become twice as obnoxious and loud as usual. She didn't mind. It always made Blake laugh. The song changed and Weiss began dragging Ruby off of the dance floor. The pair approached Yang and the blonde perked up, lifting her brows at them.

"Ruby, I think we should sign up for dance lessons." Weiss was saying as they arrived at the bar.

"Why, Weiss? I'm a great dancer already." Ruby argued, pouting a bit.

Weiss stifled a laugh, "I just think… We could benefit from having some skills with dancing. After all, combat is like a dance. Not only that, but it would give us some…"

Ruby's eyes lit up with childlike excitement as she waited for the words to roll off of Weiss' tongue.

"It will give us some bonding time." The white-haired girl sighed.

Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss' arm and beamed. Yang's sister made a squealing sound as she shook Weiss a bit. The heiress remained balanced as she rode out Ruby's celebration.

"Weiss! That's a great idea! I can't believe I never thought of it before!" The team leader exclaimed.

"I try my best," Weiss smiled.

Ruby nodded, "Oh, hey. I'm going to run to the bathroom! I'll be back."

"Alright," The heiress said.

"Wow, Weiss. Dance lessons, huh?" Yang slurred as she wiggled her brows.

"Oh, shut up… And I can smell your breath from here." Weiss scowled, "Yang, you're plastered. Why did you drink so much?"

The Schnee girl snatched the beer bottle that was in Yang's hand and the blonde frowned, "Ah, Weiss. Come on. Give it back."

"Oh my goodness, Yang… Did you only want to confess to Blake tonight because you knew it'd be easier if you were both drunk?" She asked in an accusatory tone.

"N-No." Yang hiccuped.

Weiss somehow managed to scowl harder, "Well… If you're going to confess, then go do it. Don't just stand there all night undressing her with your eyes, you dolt."

"Aye, aye, cap'n." Yang gave a messy salute before stumbling off toward Blake.

Weiss rolled her eyes as she turned her back and requested drinks from the bartender. Yang approached the pair of fine faunus women and tried to act as not-drunk as she could manage. The blonde stuck her hands into the pockets of her bomber jacket and smiled as Velvet noticed her approaching. Blake turned her head as well, beaming back at the brawler.

"Hi, Yang," Velvet said warmly, "Enjoying the party?"

"Oh, yeah. Definitely." Yang nodded, "You?"

"It's great." The rabbit faunus agreed.

Yang's eyes flickered to the cat faunus, "What about you, Blake?"

"I'm enjoying myself." Blake told Yang, her voice clearly demonstrating her content.

"That's great. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Yang questioned as she suddenly hoped she wasn't intruding on their conversation.

"No, not at all! We were just discussing how things have been going with our teams, lately." Velvet answered.

"Oh, that's great. So, you don't mind if I borrow Blake for a minute?" She wanted to know.

Velvet giggled, "Nope. She's all yours."

"Care to dance?" Yang asked, extending a hand to the raven-haired faunus.

"I'd love to." Blake chuckled as she took Yang's hand and followed her to the dance floor.

The pair goofed around for a bit as the upbeat music with pounding bass blasted over the speakers in the nightclub. After a few minutes, it switched to something a little slower and a few groups began to vacate the dance floor, leaving only couples and pairings in their wake. Yang was about to suggest they go sit down and have a drink when Blake wrapped her arms around the brawler's neck. The faunus stepped closer to her and rested her head in the crook of her neck. Yang snaked her arms around Blake's waist and gently carried her to the rhythm of the music.

"Blake?" The blonde said after a moment, her fingertips feeling as though they were burning against Blake's exposed skin.

"Hm?" The faunus responded.

Yang hesitated for a bit before finally speaking again, "Can we talk?"

"Always." Blake said quietly, her head still resting against Yang, "What about?"

"Is it cool if we step outside? It's kind of noisy." Yang asked.

"Yeah," Blake said, dropping her arms to her sides.

The brawler took her hand and led her toward the door. They stepped outside of the club, standing on the sidewalk in the night air. It was quiet, save for the sound of muffled music coming from the club and the occasional passing car. Blake shivered a bit and Yang pulled her jacket off, draping it over her teammate's shoulders. She smiled at the blonde before putting her arms in the sleeves as they strolled over to the alley on the side of the building. Blake put her hands in the pockets of the jacket and Yang tried not to stare. The cat faunus looked as beautiful as ever, even if she was a little blurry. Yang leaned against the brick wall of the building next to the nightclub and folded her arms.

"What did you want to talk about?" The raven-haired girl inquired.

"Listen…" Yang began, "Lately, I've… I've been wanting to talk to you."

"Uh huh. You already told me that, Yang." Blake giggled.

"No, Blake, don't laugh… It's… S-Serious." The brawler hiccuped again.

The cat faunus brought a hand to her mouth to hide her mischievous smile, "Sorry, sorry… What's going on?"

"You know how you've been bringing Sun around a lot lately?" Yang asked.

"Mmhmm." Blake nodded, "Why?"

"I hate that guy." The blonde admitted.

"What?" The faunus laughed a bit, "How come?"

"Because, Blake… It's…" Yang stumbled for the right words.

Though it was simple to tell her, putting words together was suddenly astronomically more difficult than Yang had predicted. The fact that she'd had too much to drink wasn't exactly helping. The blonde already wasn't the most articulate person in Remnant… Now she'd given herself twice the handicap. Yang ran a hand through her hair and shook her head a bit. Blake looked at her and despite the hazy look in her eyes, she appeared concerned.

"Yang?"

The brawler sucked in a deep breath, "Blake, I'm in love with you."

Blake blinked as Yang felt the weight of the world roll off of her shoulders.

She continued, "I can't stand it when Sun comes around… I-I talk to Weiss but I just couldn't be brave enough to tell you until now… I know you feel the same way, but I know you wouldn't say anything either… Now, with Sun around, I just—"

Her rambling was cut short by the faunus' lips crashing against her own. Yang's eyes shut slowly as she relished the feeling of Blake's mouth pressed against hers. It was better than she'd ever imagined. Her lips were soft and full with the faintest hint of peppermint chapstick on them. The blonde cupped the side of her face, pulling her in closer and not daring to pull away. The taste of vodka was so strong on Blake's tongue that Yang felt as though she was drinking it herself. When the pair finally parted for a breath, they pressed their foreheads together. Yang gently combed her fingers through Blake's hair.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." Blake said quietly, her hand coming to rest in the center of Yang's chest.

The blonde leaned in again and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. Yang was surprised at how fiercely the faunus kissed her back. It felt like every emotion the two had felt since they'd met was being poured into the kiss. It was longing, yet wanton and filled with need. Blake's teeth grazed the brawler's lip as her hand slid down between her thighs. Blake was definitely keeping her on her toes tonight. Yang couldn't just sit back and let the introvert take the lead. She grabbed Blake's waist and whirled her around, pushing her back against the wall. Blake moaned into her mouth and Yang decided she couldn't wait any longer.

Her hands went for the faunus' jeans, fumbling as they hastily unbuttoned them. Blake pulled away and looked down at Yang's hands slipping into her pants. The raven-haired girl bit her bottom lip as she felt her teammate's fingertips running over the crotch of her now damp underwear. Yang pulled the fabric to the side and slid her fingers along the length of Blake's lips. The faunus whimpered, her fingers hooking through the belt loops on Yang's jeans. Blake tugged her closer and rested her forehead on the blonde's shoulder. Yang pushed two fingers inside of her teammate, receiving a lascivious moan from Blake in response. Her hot breath against Yang's collarbone was driving the brawler crazy.

"Mmph," Blake breathed, "Yang."

Yang was already euphoric on account of the alcohol she'd consumed, but hearing her name roll off of Blake's tongue in such a way had put her on cloud nine. She continued to thrust her fingers in and out of her best friend, relishing every gasp and moan that spilled from her lips. Yang was determined to finish what she had started, but it seemed that Blake had other plans. The faunus grabbed her wrist and held it tight. She lifted her head to look at Yang, who raised her brows in worry. With her free hand, Blake brought her palm to rest against her teammate's cheek. Her thumb lazily grazed over her skin and she looked at Yang with half-lidded eyes.

"Take me home." She ordered.

* * *

Yang had just barely shut the door to their dormitory when Blake grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her down the hallway toward their shared bedroom. The taxi ride to the Academy had been excruciating. At one point, Yang was convinced that it was never going to end. The feeling of Blake's fingertips running up and down her thighs had lit a fire in the pit of her stomach. Blake's actions had only continued to feed the flame. When they reached their bedroom, Blake pushed Yang down onto her bed. The blonde was shocked to see her taking the lead and presumed that she must have been incredibly drunk to have the gall to do so. It was incredibly uncharacteristic of the faunus. With pure carnal desire in her eyes, Blake climbed atop Yang and straddled her. She began to pull her shirt over her head and Yang only looked on at her in awe as she undressed.

Blake dropped her shirt over the edge of the bed and began to unclasp her bra. The dark-haired girl pulled the garment off, baring her chest for Yang to see. The brawler could hardly believe that any of this was happening. The kiss that they had shared in the alleyway was one thing, but this—This was more than Yang had ever anticipated. However, she wasn't complaining. The feline faunus grabbed Yang's hands and guided them to her waist. The dumbfounded blonde slowly ran her hands up her teammate's sides, tracing her curves. Goosebumps covered every inch of skin that Yang made contact with and a satisfied smile began to manifest on her lips.

Taking note of this, Blake reached down and began attempting to pull off Yang's signature bomber jacket. The blonde sat up and shook her arms out of it before leaning in and placing her hands on the small of Blake's back. Yang brought her mouth to the center of Blake's chest, pausing to breathe in her scent for a moment. The aroma of alcohol was still pungent on the faunus and it almost completely overpowered her faint vanilla-scented perfume. Yang grazed her lips up and over toward her partner's collarbones, planting a soft kiss on her neck. Blake gave a small hum as Yang pulled away and started to pull her shirt over her head. With that out of the way, she proceeded to take off her bra and toss it aside. Blake's hands instantly began to roam over Yang's exposed skin. Her fingertips were so soft and cold against the brawler's hot skin.

It was tantalizingly slow and yet, Yang found herself enjoying it. Their lips met again in a harsh, passionate kiss. Yang's hands moved down to the faunus' jeans and she began to unbutton them. Blake giggled softly as she scooted away and got on her back, allowing Yang to pull her pants off. She was wearing a pair of black lace panties that did little to hide how wet she was. Yang felt as though this was all too good to be true. The blonde hesitated as she tried to process the situation, but Blake snapped her back to reality as she began to pull her underwear down her long legs. Yang swallowed hard, drinking in the sight of her teammate who was now completely naked before her.

She leaned forward and placed her hands on the sides of Blake's thighs, running them up and down slowly. The cat faunus was more beautiful than she'd ever imagined. Even in her drunken state, it was a miracle that she wasn't trying to shield herself from Yang or even run off like she normally did when she was nervous. It was as if all of her insecurity and uncertainty had been erased. Whether it was from the alcohol or the honesty that they'd shared with one another, Yang wasn't sure. The only thing she was certain of was that she had made the right decision to be honest with Blake. She was in love with her and she was more than happy to prove it.

Yang moved her head between Blake's legs and began to kiss her inner thighs. The dark-haired girl whimpered while her teammate teased her. One of Blake's hands became tangled in Yang's hair as the faunus attempted to lift her hips off of the bed, desperate to be pleasured. Yang could hardly resist any longer herself and finally brought her head down, pressing her tongue flat against Blake's clit. A melodious and unrestrained moan came from Blake in response. The brawler listened attentively to the string of curses, noises, and incoherent babble that streamed from her lips, using it as a sort of gauge when pleasuring her partner. When Blake got a bit louder, she kept it up. When it sounded like she was getting too close, she'd slow down a bit.

"Please," The feline faunus panted, "Please, Yang. I'm so close."

The blonde couldn't argue with her pleas. She quickened her pace as she licked the sensitive bundle of nerves, lessening the amount of pressure she placed on it with her tongue. Blake cursed under her breath and clawed at the bed sheets with her free hand. With a fistful of Yang's hair, the faunus actually seemed to hold her there. Yang didn't mind at all, taking the opportunity to clean her up with soft, slow licks. Blake's hips twitched slightly as she rode out the entirety of her much-needed orgasm. When she had finally regained her breath, she sat up and eagerly cupped Yang's cheeks. The blonde rose to catch her lips in a sensual, unhurried kiss. Blake ran her fingers along the curve of Yang's jawline as they parted and pressed her forehead against her partner's.

"You're even better than I imagined," Blake told her in a near-whisper.

Yang cracked a smile, "I could say the same to you."

Her teammate's breathing was still a bit labored and her body was coated in a thin layer of sweat. The room had grown rather hot and musky and Yang was certain that she'd have to wash Blake's sheets. The cat faunus began to lie back and the blonde worried that perhaps sleep was looming overhead. She didn't want the night to end—Not yet. She took Blake's hand and began to get off of the bed. The dazed faunus looked up at her and cocked her head.

"Come on. Let's get cleaned up." Yang said, nodding toward the bathroom door.

Blake got up and followed, a silent agreement. Her ears were pointed upright as her teammate guided her into the bathroom. Blake's footsteps were still a bit wobbly, but Yang was there to keep her balanced. As they waited for the water to heat up, the cat faunus' lips lingered back to Yang's neck. The blonde gently pressed Blake against the bathroom wall and lifted her partner's leg, wrapping it around her waist. Yang kissed her hard and couldn't resist pressing her body flush against hers. The raven-haired girl's scent was intoxicating, causing Yang to want nothing more than to feel every inch of her body against Blake's.

Her hand tangled itself in the faunus' hair while the fingers of her free hand caressed her bare, taut stomach. Blake shuddered beneath her touch and broke their kiss, letting out a soft moan. She slipped a hand down Yang's back, nails raking her skin gently. Her other hand found a handful of the blonde's tresses and pulled hard. Yang's head jerked back instinctively at the unexpected roughness—Though she'd be lying if she said it didn't turn her on more. Blake's mouth crashed into hers and she felt her tongue brush over her bottom lip. Yang parted her lips and felt her partner's tongue beginning to explore her mouth. Blake ran her tongue along the tip of Yang's before pulling away and planting a soft kiss to the brawler's lips.

"Let's get in the shower," The feline faunus murmured, eyes hazed by lust, "And then I can take care of you."

She gave Yang a gentle nudge away from her and slipped quickly into her shower. With speed unmatched by even Ruby, Yang slipped out of her remaining clothes and followed Blake into the shower. As soon as she stepped foot into the shower, Blake pulled her close and pushed her body against Yang's beneath the hot water. Apparently, it was Blake's turn to be aggressive. The dark-haired girl pinned her to the wall of the shower, leaning in and placing kisses along the blonde's jaw. She followed the arch of the bone up to her ear before softly biting down on her lover's earlobe. Chills coursed through Yang and she choked back a moan. Blake slowly pulled back and admired her, eyes roaming over her entire body as she gave a low hum.

"You're so beautiful," Blake told her as she leaned back in, "I've wanted to fuck you for so long."

Yang shivered at her mere words. She'd never heard such boldness from the faunus and it was a massive turn on. The feeling of her breath against her ear only furthered the intensity of it all. Yang was aching for Blake to follow through.

"Then do it," The brawler challenged.

Having received all of the confirmation she needed, Blake slowly trailed her fingertips away from Yang's waist and over her ribs, moving her hand up to cup her breast. The faunus ran her finger along the underside of her partner's breast, tracing the curve of her skin until she came into contact with one of Yang's nipples. She gave the pink skin a slight pinch, drawing a moan out from behind Yang's lips that bounced off of the shower walls. Her lower back arched away from the wall as Blake's lips closed around her other nipple. This time, a much louder moan escaped the girl from the sudden contact.

"Fuck, Blake," Yang breathed, "That feels so good."

Another hum came from the cat faunus, her mouth still occupied with sucking on Yang's nipple. The blonde pressed her pelvis into Blake in hopes of feeling some friction where she needed it the most. Blake dropped her hand from Yang's other breast and gripped harshly at her hip, as if signaling her to be patient. A soft whimper came from Yang—A sound that she didn't ever expect to make. Blake was growing increasingly eager to please her partner and as such, she slid her hand between Yang's legs. Her middle finger pressed against her clit and she began to rub it gently. Yang gritted her teeth from the pleasure and whimpered yet again. She gripped Blake's back, rocking her body against her lover's hand. She wanted more of her. She needed more of her. The brawler's hand moved down to Blake's and she gripped her wrist, guiding her hand toward her entrance.

Yang wasn't one to beg with words. Blake had been so vocal with her desire, but the blonde wasn't one to give in. The faunus pushed her finger inside of Yang and felt her walls tighten around her digit. A sigh of pleasure came from Yang and Blake found herself intoxicated with her teammate. She began to pump her fingers slowly in and out of Yang before biting down on her shoulder. Yang disrupted the rhythm Blake had set with a buck of her hips, though she didn't care. The long awaited pleasure was intense and she moaned aloud. Blake continued to try to find a steady rhythm as Yang's hips jerked with the motions of her hand. She released her partner's skin from between her teeth and moved to press her forehead to Yang's.

"Just feel me, Yang. Move with me." Blake said softly.

With half-lidded eyes, Yang gave a hasty nod before pressing her lips to Blake's and letting her take the reins. Blake was able to work up a proper rhythm, now thrusting in and out of Yang without resistance. She pulled out and slid her fingers back up over Yang's clit, circling the bud and receiving a moan in her mouth in response. When she slid her fingers back down, she pushed two fingers into Yang. Her hips bucked again, this time finally moving in time with her lover's motions. Yang found that this made the experience twice as pleasurable as it already was and she moaned for Blake to keep going. Whimpering yet again, the blonde slid her hands down to grip Blake's toned ass.

After a bit longer, Blake suddenly hit a spot that elicited the loudest moan from Yang that night. Yang ground herself against Blake's hand, clenching hard around her fingers. She dug her nails into her partner's ass and threw her head back as she found herself completely racked with pleasure. Her eyes shut tight as she rode out a number of leg spasms, which Blake only continued to egg on with her continued stroking of Yang's clit. When the pleasure had finally washed away, the blonde rested her head on Blake's shoulder. She planted an exhausted kiss on her skin before nuzzling into her neck.

"Thank you," Yang barely managed to choke out.

Blake chuckled and pulled her fingers out from between her legs, "There's no need to thank me, Yang. I've wanted to do that for ages."


	4. IV

The morning after, Yang woke up to an empty bed. She could hardly remember anything beyond the feeling of Blake's skin against her own. The brawler looked over to the clock on the nightstand and realized that she had slept particularly late. And although the space next to her was void of the raven-haired girl's presence, the smile never left Yang's face. She got out of bed and realized that somewhere along the way she had actually managed to get into her pajamas. Clad in a pair of grey sweat pants and a baggy orange shirt, Yang made her way into the kitchen. Weiss was attempting to read through a cookbook while Ruby furiously stirred up some sort of concoction in a bowl.

"Good afternoon, Yang." Weiss said without looking up from her reading.

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed as she continued to violently turn the whisk around in the silver bowl she clutched in her other arm, "We're making cookies!"

"Cookies?" Yang chuckled.

"I don't think the recipe called for so many bags of chocolate chips, Ruby… We only made enough dough for a single batch of cookies." Weiss pointed out as she set the book on the countertop and looked down at it.

"Cookies can have as many chocolate chips as you want! Besides, there's _no_ such thing as too many chocolate chips." Ruby corrected her.

Yang's eyes trailed to the three empty bags in the kitchen that must have housed chocolate chips at one point, "So, what's the occasion?"

"Oh, there's no occasion. Weiss promised me last night that we would make cookies if I slept in the living room with her!" Her sister responded.

The blonde lifted her eyebrows and looked at Weiss, who was smiling smugly as she pretended to carry on reading. The heiress knew full-well what had happened between her teammates. She'd even gone so far as to give them their time alone together. Yang would have to thank her later. For now, she'd just play along.

"The living room? Did you guys watch movies?" Yang questioned.

"We turned one on, but I don't remember anything after that," Ruby giggled.

Weiss looked over at Yang, "She passed out. I was up quite late."

"Ah," The blonde nodded, "Where's Blake?"

"Sun came by and took her out for coffee." Ruby answered as she pulled the whisk out of the bowl.

Yang felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. Weiss turned around and went about fetching a tray for the cookies to be put on. The brawler tried to convince herself that it was fine. After all, there was no way that Blake would be on a date with Sun after a night like the one they'd shared. There was no reason for her to worry.

"Probably to help with the hangover." Yang said out loud, as if still trying to persuade herself that that was the situation.

"Maybe! She seemed fine when she left!" The team leader chirped back as Weiss set the tray down before her, "Did you spray the pan?"

"Yes, I did. Unlike you, I'm following the instructions given by the recipe book." The white-haired girl responded.

"I'm just being _thorough_ , Weiss." Ruby replied as she began to dollop masses of her cookie mixture onto the tray.

"Right," Weiss dismissed.

Yang began to tune out their back and forth as her mind doubled back to the fact that Blake was out with Sun again. Had she changed her mind about her feelings for her? Had she regretted everything that was said and done last night? Had she lied about reciprocating Yang's feelings in an effort not to hurt her? The blonde wanted to go chasing after her, but she quickly dismissed the notion. Her stomach was in knots and she wanted to write it off as mere overthinking. It still nipped at the back of her mind, as much as she tried to push it down—And with good reason.

* * *

Blake didn't even remember. She didn't remember any of the words they'd exchanged, any of the kisses they'd shared, or anything further. It didn't take Yang very long to figure that out. It was as if the conversation had never taken place between them. The same unspoken tension existed that had plagued the pair before. This time, the only difference was that Yang knew something Blake didn't. Every single word they'd exchanged with one another that night was as real as it could be. Every kiss, every touch, every look they gave each other was so incredibly real. How could Blake forget all of that? What's more, how could she have said and done all of those things in the moment if they weren't the thoughts and feelings she had when she was sober?

On the one hand, she couldn't blame her teammate. Even Yang hadn't built up the confidence to tell Blake her true feelings without the aid of alcohol. At least, though, Yang knew her limits. Apparently Blake did not. The days had turned into weird, prolonged bouts of self war that would never come to an end. Yang would fall asleep at night and awake only to pick up right where she'd left off prior. It was taking a toll on her. The vicious circle of knowing Blake's true feelings and trying to work up the courage to talk to her only to remember that she would probably be alarmed to know the truth was unbearable. Weiss had begun to notice her teammate's distress and after a long day of training nearly two weeks later, she pulled the blonde aside.

"What's going on with you, Yang? Your head seems more in the clouds than it did before." Weiss demanded to know, "And not only that, but if anything, it feels like you and Blake are talking less than ever."

"I, uh," Yang stumbled over her words and awkwardly shrugged her shoulders.

Weiss simply wouldn't take that for an answer. The white-haired girl snatched up Yang by the wrist and began dragging her off toward the locker rooms in the training hall. After entering the girls locker room and hurrying to the far end that was empty, Weiss came to a halt. She pointed expectantly at the metallic bench that spanned the length of the aisle and Yang sat down, already feeling defeated. The Schnee girl folded her arms in front of her chest and tilted her head.

"Well?" She prompted.

Yang tried to form the words, to no avail, "Blake and I… We…"

"You what?" Weiss urged, her brows knitting together.

"Well, first we just talked to each other and I told her how I don't like her being around Sun so much… And then we kissed and…" The blonde could hardly believe that even now a confident chuckle floated past her lips, "You know."

The heiress could hardly resist the curling of her upper lip as she shook her head, "Spare me the details, thank you… I don't understand, then. Did she change her mind?"

"That's the thing," Yang continued, "I don't know what happened. I woke up the next morning and she'd already left with Sun."

"Do you think she doesn't recall any of the events from the night before?" Weiss inquired.

"I mean, that _seems_ like the most reasonable thing I can think of. I'm too afraid to ask her about it, though."

"So, we're back at square one, hm?" She lifted a brow at Yang.

"It sure as hell seems that way," Yang sighed.

Her teammate gave a bit of a hum as she thought to herself, bringing a hand to her chin, "I'm just having a hard time understanding exactly how this could be the case. I mean, didn't she wake up beside you?"

"I don't know. The last thing I remember is—"

"I told you to spare me the details," Weiss warned, covering her ears as her cheeks turned red.

Yang stood up and pried her hands away from her ears, "The last thing I remember is getting back into bed with her."

The smaller girl pulled Yang's hands off of her wrists and gave her a look of distaste. She brushed off the skirt of her dress before clearing her throat and righting herself. Yang watched in amusement as Weiss prepared herself to continue speaking.

"Anyway," She began, "I know it's scary, Yang, but I feel like the only option you have is to talk to her about it. If _I_ address her about it, she'll probably run off or be absolutely mortified."

Weiss had a point. Blake was easy to overwhelm and her first instinct was almost always to avoid facing things head on until she was forced to. Albeit annoying, Yang understood that everyone dealt with their issues in different ways. While the blonde typically opted for punching her way through things, Blake typically chose the route that would lead her furthest away from the issue. The only problem was that even building up the courage to talk to Blake initially was rough. The brawler couldn't do it without some alcohol in her system and endless pushing from Weiss. How was she supposed to work all of that bravery back up? Such a task seemed far too overwhelming to try to face again. Yang was willing to do anything for Blake, but the fact that she had gone out with Sun after that night's events felt like a kick in the head.

"Weiss, I…" Yang started, fumbling for her words, "What if she doesn't even want to be with me? What if it would be too weird for her? It seems like all she wants to do is be around Sun…"

The white-haired girl glared at her, "Yang, that's ridiculous. You guys are inseparable. I don't think this would change _anything_. And who cares if she wants to hang around Sun? Prove to her that you're the right choice for her, Yang! Assert yourself!"

"You know what? Yeah! I will!" The brawler declared as she got to her feet, a fire in her eyes.

"There's the Yang I know," Weiss smiled, pleased with the reaction she was able to elicit from her teammate.

"Thank you, Weiss," Yang said as she pulled the smaller girl into an embrace, "I won't let you down!"

The blonde began to hurry out of the locker room, as if refilled with energy and encouragement. Weiss only gave a shake of the head and a giggle. The Schnee girl walked out of the locker room shortly after, happy to see Yang motivated and with her head back in the game.

* * *

Nothing was working. It had been several months since they had confessed their feelings for one another and nothing was working. Blake only had eyes for Sun, now. The two had been officially going out for five months. He came around the RWBY dormitory more than Yang ever wanted him to. He spent a lot of time with her best friend. It was like she belonged to him now instead of belonging to Yang… Not that she ever truly belonged to Yang anyway. The huntress-in-training slammed a fist into the punching bag as hard as she could, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she did so. She seemed to have a laser focus on the punching bag in front of her. Yang had been in the training hall for hours and had been walloping the punching bag like it had personally done her wrong.

Tonight in particular was difficult. She had been sitting on the couch with Ruby, getting ready to play board games with she and Weiss when Sun had arrived. He was all gussied up with his stupid white button up shirt that wasn't even buttoned all the way. His hair was done all nice and he was wearing dress pants for once. He even ditched his sneakers and had on a pair of clean shoes. Yang nailed the bag in front of her with a wicked right hook as she thought back on the thought of him. He'd told them he was there to pick up Blake for their five month anniversary dinner. Of course, almost as if on cue, Blake had emerged from their shared bedroom looking absolutely breathtaking.

She'd ditched her little bow, her cat-like ears sitting proudly atop her dark tresses. Her hair was pulled into an elegant looking bun with a few loose strands of hair hanging around her face. She was sporting a gorgeous, charcoal colored gown that complimented the shape of her frame so nicely. Yang had had to peel her eyes away from the girl, but not before noticing the shine in her eyes that she had seen once before—The look that she had given her on that fateful night. Now was different, though. Now that look was for Sun. The mere thought of that sickened the brawler, even though she knew that she was supposed to want Blake to be happy. Looking back, Yang felt stupider than ever… Blake had never told her she loved her. The blonde had completely surrendered herself to the faunus, revealing her feelings and wearing her heart on her sleeve. Blake hadn't even said it back.

Another devastating punch was dealt to the bag as it began to swing back and forth with a surprising amount of momentum, the chains that held it in place rattling loudly throughout the empty training hall. Yang didn't even know what time it was anymore. All she knew was that she was angry. She was so, so angry. Releasing her bottom lip from in between her teeth, she began to throw punch after punch at the bag. It was continuously knocked back as she could feel her face and body heating up. Before she knew it, her mouth was open and she was yelling nearly at the top of her lungs. Small puffs of dust surrounded her knuckles as she buried them over and over again into the punching bag. With a final punch that could have been enough to shatter bone, the bag swung back drastically far, coming unchained and collapsing on the floor with a thud unlike anything Yang had ever heard.

The brawler stood there, chest heaving and forehead coated in sweat as she stared down at the punching bag. Her breaths were ragged and uneven as she tried to collect herself. The light in the training hall flickered briefly above her and was enough to draw her attention away from the floor. Her eyes met the mirrors at the far end of the room and she noticed just how terrible she looked. Yang's hair was more disheveled than it had ever been in her life, there were bags under her eyes, and she looked so… Empty. The blonde slowly sat down on the floor, her back pressed to the punching bag as she pulled her knees upward. She couldn't bear to look at her reflection any longer. Yang buried her face in her hands as she tried to collect her thoughts.

She'd lost. It wasn't even a game and she'd lost. She'd lost Blake, and to Sun Wukong, the one person in the world that she couldn't possibly accept defeat from. And yet, she had. It felt like it had been over before it even started. The things that Blake had said to her that night, the things that they'd done… It felt like none of that mattered. It seemed to her like perhaps all Blake had wanted was a convenient fuck all along. She didn't seem the type to seek out something like that in the slightest, but what else was Yang to believe? They'd never spoken about it since. It was like Blake wouldn't even give her the time of day since she and Sun had started going out. Weren't they supposed to be best friends? Yang had fallen asleep every night with the thought in her mind that she would give anything to have things back the way they were.

The girl wasn't one to have regrets. Everything that she did served a purpose, everything that she did was something that she meant. Confessing her feelings to Blake had been so monumental and terrifying, yet so genuine and long-awaited. Unfortunately, it was the one thing she was beginning to regret. What was the point of all of it? Was the night they'd spent together even worth it in the end? A part of Yang always told her that it was, but another part swore up and down that it wasn't. She'd practically lost Blake entirely. All the raven-haired girl seemed to see was Sun Wukong… That was all she wanted to see. Tears began to nip at the blonde's eyes and it only took a matter of seconds for her to begin bawling. Yang wasn't typically the type to cry, but she couldn't deny how good it felt to finally get all of it out. Her frame shook with every sharp inhale that she took, tear drops streaming her face. The brawler folded her arms atop her knees and rested her forehead against them, staring at the ground as she sobbed.

 _'Maybe in another life, huh?'_ Was the only coherent thought that continued to bounce around the inside of her head.


End file.
